Paraguay Here We Come!
In August, the Gift of Sight Foundation will send a mighty crew of twenty-eight individuals to Paraguay. Our mission is see more than 20,000 needy people and dispense eyewear, free of charge, to those that need vision correction. We will do this through a temporary clinic that has been coordinated by the Paraguay Lions Club.
Paraguay is a small South American country; about the size of California. It is situated between Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina and is often referred to as the heart of South America. Since the country is largely undiscovered, we expect to experience an unspoiled land where time and tradition have stood still for generations.
Our clinic will be located in Caazapa, in the Southeast corner of Paraguay. The area east of Caazapa is relatively undeveloped and consists of rolling hills and large swaths of Brazilian Atlantic interior rainforest between the San Rafael mountains to the south and the Yvytyrysy mountains to the north. The Western part is an area of low-lying marshes and swampland area, and consists of wetlands and tributaries to eastern Paraguay's largest river, the Tebicuary.
Many indigenous groups make their home in what remains of the rainforest. These groups, who practice farming corn, cassava and yerba mate under the canopy of the forest live in small bands and travel mainly by foot. They are technically protected and their land is a national reserve, but illegal loggers, ranchers and more recently, Brazilian soybean growers have encroached upon their territory.
